


all bets are off

by unrequitedexistence



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-19 07:32:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7351804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unrequitedexistence/pseuds/unrequitedexistence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kara Danvers runs into Cat Grant at Comic Con National City.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. know your worth

**Author's Note:**

> I have been having a hard time writing lately. Been receiving quite a lot of books to read and review, but today I found myself free(r) and this little thing happened. There’s a second chapter to this, which will _certainly_ be posted next week. I hope you enjoy it.

When destiny places the person you least expect to find right in front of you, you can rest assured that something is bound to happen because that is the illustration of its favorite line: _all bets are off_.

When the person you least expect to find right in front of you is Cat Grant and you happen to be Kara Danvers, you can _certainly_ expect destiny to play its best hand, raising its adored _all bets are off_ to an _all-in_ of _all bets are royally off_ , usually in a rather _mind-blowing_ way.

COMIC CON NATIONAL CITY

As Winn and James had long ago decided to attend a _Superman_ panel together, Kara had instead promised to accompany Alex to a panel about the representation of women in pop culture. Alex had been talking about it ever since she had first bought the tickets for the four of them – it had been her sister’s _congratulations for the promotion_ present, a celebratory weekend in the world of nerd and wonder.

They were sitting on the very first row as to avoid the somewhat distracting upstretched phones and the blinding flashes from the eager cameras. As the panelists were announced and by turn walked on stage, Kara was reminded of one of Cat’s famous witticisms, _you look like the attractive yet non-threatening, racially diverse cast of a CW show_. This specific group of people raised the bar, though. They didn’t look _that_ intimidating, but they _exhaled_ power.

“And now, please join us in welcoming our last guest, our mystery panelist, Miss Cat Grant.”

For a moment everything went deafeningly silent in Kara’s universe. Even her heart skipped a beat in homage to the convulsion starting at the very tip of Kara’s fingers. She hadn’t, not even for a millisecond, considered the possibility of this not being a _safe_ event for her to attend.

The scene played out in slow motion in front of Kara’s eyes. Cat Grant walked on stage wearing all black. The choice in color, or lack thereof, was far from being a rare occurrence, but the way the darkness seemed to complement the other woman, _lighten_ her, somehow managed to astonish Kara – every _single_ time.

It took her brain an additional moment, a deep heartening breath, to acknowledge the fact that Cat Grant, the _queen of all media_ , was wearing a pair of jeans that made the branding of _skinny_ , which commonly preceded them, _feel_ like the understatement of the _millennium_. They highlighted all the _right_ places in the most delightful, and beyond distracting, way.

As Kara’s eyes travelled up Cat’s legs, they landed on the faintest hint of red evading the other woman’s buttoned blazer. Kara was by now positively squinting, even instinctively leaning somewhat forward, as she tried to make sense of what was unquestionably not a stain. She would probably not have given up if it hadn’t been for Alex. Her sister had cleared her throat, not as to call for Kara’s attention, but for her own. It was something she did every time before focusing her attention on something that was of her interest and that took longer than a cup of coffee.

She couldn’t help but smile as her sister switched, imperceptibly to anyone but Kara, to pondering-mode. Even if there had been flashes, Alex wouldn’t have flinched. It was as if her brain had an _adblock_ plugin installed.

Kara kept her eyes trained on Cat throughout the whole panel, following her every gesture as if the other woman were the main dancer of a contemporary piece that would have a limited run of _one_ , one single perfection of a performance.

More than used to multitasking, to watching the other woman working without losing complete track of her own tasks, Kara was able to follow the conversation that flowed effortlessly and animatedly between the guests.

Many people would certainly be surprised with Cat’s more than appropriate interventions. Not paying much attention to the names that usually followed the articles of the press, they seemed to forget that she was more, _much_ more, than _just_ CATCO’s CEO. Cat Grant was a reporter, a content creator, a woman who had written papers while still at university discussing the gendered world and its obvious obsoleteness.

“We have time for one last question.” The moderator announced as she turned to face the audience one more time.

“I have a question to Miss Grant.” Kara heard someone say from the back. A microphone immediately found the young woman’s hand as there had yet to be a direct question for Cat. “What does success look like?”

This was _the_ moment.

If they hadn’t known before, if they had mistakenly taken her for just another pretty face sitting on an iron throne built on someone else’s sweat, they were about to have their minds blown.

“As you can see with your own eyes, success has no particular race, no particular gender or sexuality, no particular dressing code…” Cat stood up and unbuttoned her blazer to reveal the _Agent Carter_ t-shirt she was wearing underneath. “Know your worth, flaunt it with pride.” She added, removing her glasses as a sign that the panel was over. “And listen to the stray bullets whispering tales of your vest of confidence.”

Kara impulsively reached for Alex's arm, squeezing it rather harshly without moving her eyes away from Cat’s familiar silhouette. She had been expecting greatness and yet again she had been surprised by an _epic_ closing line that opened _oh so many_ – delicious – doors.

“Did the most powerful person in National City just make a reference to what happened to _Clexa_?”

“I am not so sure about the most powerful person, but Cat Grant just earned herself a standing ovation.” Alex replied calmly, her voice enlaced in both wonder and respect, as she stood up so that she could join the applauding crowd.

As Kara’s hand had remained attached to her sister’s arm, Alex had ended up prompting Kara to blindly follow her as she stood up. It took Kara a moment, a moment that stole her attention from Cat’s figure, to understand what had just happened, what had propelled her to move.

Once she had reality back in check, her eyes darted back up in search of Cat… and they found _her_ , they found Cat’s amused ones staring right back.


	2. flaunt it with pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From wish to desire, then need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was supposed to have two chapters, but I guess _all bets are off_. Thank you for the kind kudos and the lovely comments. Shall we carry on? Cat is wearing an _Agent Carter_ t-shirt, everything is possible.

Kara hadn’t expected to find herself staring into Cat’s amused eyes. To be fair, the whole situation seemed a little bit surreal.

There stood Cat Grant, on the stage of a Comic Con panel, looking like she belonged nowhere but _there_ , like she had been born to be precisely where she presently was. Then again, didn’t she always? No matter what the context, she _owned_ it – as _simple_ as that. It seemed to be her own superpower, one that was painfully obvious she was both extremely aware of and had under perfect control.

_Amusement_.

Not that Kara would have preferred to face annoyance, but it would have been undoubtedly easier to deal with. She had been looking for a reason to _stay put_ , not for an excuse to brave the undiscovered ground her promotion had apparently, _somehow_ , unlocked.

Things had changed quite considerably at the office, just as _expected_. There were new assignments, new responsibilities, and new challenges. They were both petrifying and liberating; they made Kara _feel_ more… _human_.

_Unexpectedly_ , Kara now felt more like Cat’s colleague than her subordinate – and that was all Cat’s doing. The other woman was not easily, if ever, manipulated into creating an atmosphere. Instead, she seemed to be in utter control of the environment surrounding her, at _every_ instant, and she made it shift as she saw fit. When working together – which was becoming a somewhat _recurrent_ occurrence –, they were two women on _one_ mission.

_Collaboration_.

If it had been fascinating to watch Cat work before, being part of the process was absolutely _compelling_. The brainstorming sessions were Kara’s favorite, particularly the ones that involved just the two of them. They would sit on the couch, _close_ to one another, their limbs occasionally meeting as the disposition of layouts and other documents went through changes.

Her already undeniable crush also went through changes as their skins seemed to befriend each other, as their before accidental and random meetings became an occurrence of more frequency… and _purpose_. Oh, and there was _also_ the whole matter of the way Cat enunciated her name.

_Kara_.

It brought butterflies to her stomach. It was as if the other woman had found her new favorite flavor in her name. The way she seemed to savor it in her mouth every time she called out to her. It was… _enthralling_.

“She knows.” Kara announced matter-of-factly. Cat had raised an eyebrow in curiosity, in a ‘ _you have been caught, what are you going to do about it_ ’ way. They had been playing _coy_ at the office for an endless number of pertinent reasons, but this, as far as they were concerned, was a _non-place_. Everything was possible.

“What do you mean?” Alex asked with obvious interest, her attention nevertheless remaining at least half-focused on the crowd currently abandoning the room – it came with the territory, a consequence of a job that had many times proven to be useful in social situations.

“She knows about me.” Kara’s voice was flat, as if her barely reformulated thought offered the information requested – _loud and clear_.

“Is this a matter of red and blue?” Alex eyed Kara suspiciously. The lack of panic in her sister’s voice made her doubt a connection to the _Supergirl_ business, but there had been a certain urgency wrapped in the seeming dullness of her tone.

“What?” Kara replied in confusion a moment later, having been brought back to reality by the weight of Alex’s eyes boring into her. “I mean, no. _Definitely_ not.” Her gaze carried on unfalteringly pursuing its designated target. “As far as she’s concerned, I am just _plain old_ Kara.”

“You say that as if it were a bad thing.” Alex had been intrigued before, but now she was officially concerned.

Kara sighed deeply, her eyes still following Cat’s each and every move. Every now and then Cat would meet her stare and Kara would swear she could see a smile tugging at the corners of the other woman’s mouth. A smile _for_ her.

“Kara?” Alex started before following the path that Kara’s eyes had by now burnt across the dust particles that accompanied the air. “Are you okay?” She asked as she recognized the familiar silhouette of her sister’s apparent mark.

“I don’t think I will ever be.” Kara’s dreamy tone had Alex rolling her eyes in unreserved disbelief. Her sister, an alien with incredible powers, was infatuated, just as incredibly, with her boss, who even though human seemed to have quite a few powers of her own.

_Match made in heaven_?

“We will see about that.” Alex replied, a plan already forming in her head. She grabbed her sister by the arm, her touch light but firm, and started leading her through the already dispersed crowd.

“Do you think I should go talk to her?” Kara asked in a daze as her feet mechanically followed Alex’s deliberate steps. Instead of pinching her sister awake, Alex decided it would be easier to guide her across if she remained in her current trance-like state. Kara would eventually notice the reduced distance and the later she panicked the better. There would be less time for her to question every single thing and turn back around after finishing her mental painting of the worst case scenario.

 “Oh yes, you are.” Alex murmured under her breath, an unrevealing smile perfectly in place as Cat visibly acknowledged their impending arrival.

Being dragged required absolutely no effort. Kara wouldn’t have to consciously make the decision to approach Cat, therefore she wouldn’t have to deal with having made _the_ choice that would possibly lead her to rejection. That would keep the doors open to a second _proper_ attempt, one that she could _live_ with.

_We are almost there_.

Then it happened. In a slow motion that would have brought a universe of film aficionados to their reverent knees, a hand foreign to the written course of the scene brought her to an unsolicited halt.

_James_.

His touch surprised her with its lightness. She would have thought it would take considerably more strength to counteract Alex’s hold.

_Oh_.

That was when Kara realized that Alex had been simply leading her _willing_ steps. She had opened herself to being steered, having watched the scene play out _flawlessly_ in front of her. She had only forgotten to take into consideration the potential intervention of a third _uninvited_ party.

Alex had reached Cat on her own, undoubtedly supposing Kara to be but a step behind her. They had shaken hands and Alex must have mentioned her name because Cat’s eyes had for a moment sought and found hers.

There was something in them, something she was starting to get familiar with, even if she knew not of a word that perfectly described its… _immenseness_. It was as if they whispered in her ear, _it’s so great to see you_. It _felt_ so… _sincere_ , and more often than not it came accompanied by the softening of Cat’s expression. It was breathtaking to witness and absolutely _mind-blowing_ knowing it had been her own doing.

_I see you_ , Kara wanted to say. _I miss every second of your absence_.

James light touch grew demanding, though. Kara became aware that Winn was babbling about something or other. She was being pulled somewhere in the opposite direction of where she wanted to be, of where she _belonged_.

Kara met Cat’s eyes once more before she was spun around. Was that disappointment? Before she could convince herself otherwise, Cat sighed _almost_ imperceptibly and looked away, focusing her attention on Alex instead.

Cat had broken eye contact. Kara’s heart clenched.

The last thing Kara saw was Alex’s hand on the small of Cat’s back. Kara had expected the other woman to immediately tense up, but she seemed quite… _comfortable_. They appeared to be bonding, complicity palpable in the air.

To be fair, they were two of the strongest women she knew. They both knew their worth, they both flaunted it with pride, and they both chose to be what they wanted to be and fought their hardest to get there. They never gave up and they never walked away from fear. It only made sense that at some point they would somehow meet halfway, terms of gathering to be specified.

Kara knew she should be glad to see two of her favorite people mingling, but there was a sour taste in her mouth.

_Jealousy_.

That settled it then. Kara had been aware that Cat had long ago stopped being a _wish_ and had become a _desire_. She just hadn’t expected, _again_ , to have her turn into a _need_ so quickly.

**Author's Note:**

> I am on Tumblr. If you have any _hello_ s, _how are you_ s or prompts, I am mrscdalloway.


End file.
